25 or 6 to 4
by Regann
Summary: Just a day in the life of former instructor, current SeeD and glorified Garden secretary Quistis Trepe, in the time after Ultimecia's defeat.


**25 or 6 to 4**

03:35 | B-Garden - Dormitory

Insistent beeping forced Quistis to leave the welcome oblivion of sleep. As she rolled over and reached for the phone where it lay on the table beside her bed, she fondly recalled the days when little other than a full-blown emergency would have had her roused at such an obscene hour of the morning.

"Trepe," she said automatically, from ingrained habit.

"Quistis!" The voice coming through the phone crackled, both with its owner's personality and static on the line. "I'm glad I finally got someone to answer."

"Irvine?" Even half asleep, she recognized his voice.

"Who else?"

She sat up in bed and blinked to clear her eyes, staring into the darkness of her dormitory room. "You missed your check-in. Is everything all right?"

"Don't I know it?" Irvine said from beneath another crackle of static. It took her a moment to remember that Irvine was calling from Esthar where the cloaking technology of its border fence tended to interfere with trans-continental communication. "We thought we were making progress in the south-west section of the city, but then we were clearing a subterranean corridor and found a nest of monsters. It took both teams over 30 hours to mop it up. So, I know it's late, but -"

"Early," Quistis corrected. "You forgot about the time difference."

"Oh no," Irvine groaned. She could picture his chagrined expression in her head. "Damn, it's what? 0400, there? I'm sorry. I'll call back in a few hours to give my report."

"It's fine," she said, turning on her lamp and reaching for a pad. "I can take it now."

"No way, I woke you up!"

"Irvine," she told him, her voice understanding. "If it took you 30 hours to clear it, you probably haven't slept in at least 40, if not more. Give your report, and then I want you and your teams to take some downtime. You hear me?"

"Sure, sure, Admiral," Irvine said, humor and fatigue both evident in his teasing. "Whatever you say."

Irvine fired off the current sit-rep for his long-standing mission: dealing with the continued fallout of the Lunar Cry that had decimated Esthar. The monsters, which were the SeeDs teams' primary assignment, were only a part of it. Damaged infrastructure, large fatalities, and a shaken belief in their country's safety all haunted the great nation. Quistis was glad she wasn't Laguna Loire.

"...we could really use another a team out here, Quistis," Irvine concluded. "The six of us are trying, but it's slow."

Quistis stifled a yawn as she capped her pen. "I don't think we have anyone to spare, but I'll see what I can do," she told him. "Now, you're on leave as of now. Thirty-six hours of mandatory rest, understand?"

"Thanks, Quistis." The line crackled so loudly that it made her jump, but Irvine's voice still came through strong. "I'll check in again at 0800 tomorrow - well, day after. Now, I'm due for a shower. I've still got monster guts all over me."

Quistis said her goodbyes, then tossed the phone onto the table. As she turned off the lamp and settled back into bed with another yawn, the digital readout of her clock flashed at her mockingly. She knew her five a.m. alarm would be ringing much too soon, signaling the start of a new day.

06:30 | B-Garden - Quad

Her daily toiletries were short, efficient and restricted only to the necessities. The one luxury Quistis allowed herself in the morning was the fresh air of Balamb Garden's quiet quad and a cup of strong, sugary tea.

Few faculty and even fewer students were active before the 0700 bell, especially since summer classes didn't start until 0900. With her mug in one hand, Quistis walked the empty halls of the Garden until the quad spread out before her, green and manicured and smelling of the salt-sweet breeze of the Balamb continent. The sun glimmered over the edge of the mountains in the distance, and Quistis took a deep breath as she lowered herself onto one of the benches that dotted the quad.

"Angelo! Fetch!"

The peace was further broken by a red ball whizzing past her, followed by a flash of brown-white-black fur and a sharp bark. Laughter floated behind it, and Quistis glanced over to see Rinoa jogging her way.

"Good morning, Rinoa," Quistis said when the girl slowed down in front of her. Angelo came bounding back over to them, ball in its mouth. Rinoa smiled as she took the ball from her pet and threw it again.

"I hope we didn't disturb you," Rinoa said, smiling at her. "Angelo has been a little edgy lately, so I thought some exercise might do us some good."

"I didn't know you were back. I thought you were still in Deling with your...?"

"We got back yesterday," she said, her gentle features marred by a frown. "It...didn't go as planned."

In the months since Vinzer Deling's death and the chaos that Ultimecia had left in her wake, Galbadia's stranglehold on the continent had waned considerably. She knew General Caraway had reached out to his daughter twice, but Rinoa had only recently deigned to entertain his thoughts of reconciliation. Quistis wasn't sure what to say in the face of its obvious failure. "How was the city?"

Rinoa's frown turned thoughtful. "Crazy," she said. "Strange. Different." Rinoa sighed. "Or maybe it was just me that was, you know?"

Sometimes, Rinoa didn't seem any different than she had when Quistis had first met her, an idealistic and headstrong girl willing to push to get her way. Then other times, she could see the changes lurking at the edge of Rinoa's eyes - the sadness, the wilderness there. It was as if the passion Rinoa had had before had went feral at Ultimecia's touch, by the sorceress power she now had to contain. But those flashes were came so quickly that Quistis was never sure if what she saw was the truth or her own fears looking back at her.

As Rinoa tossed the ball for her dog once again, Quistis took another sip of her tea and winced at the tepid temperature. She stood, still clutching her mug. "I need a refill before I head up to my office," she said in apology as she edged away. "I'll see you later."

"See you, Quistis!" Rinoa called out in farewell, Angelo barking in tandem. When Quistis heard the girl's unbridled laughter as she exited the quad, the tension in her shoulders eased just a bit.

10:54 | B-Garden - Library

The interior of the library was even more hushed than usual and not just because summer classes meant fewer students studying. As Quistis marched through the rows of shelves, everyone watched her with anxious, nervous eyes, the collective tension apparent in every face she passed. She could've dismissed them with a curt word or stopped to soothe their concern, but instead she ignored them, focused on reaching her destination, which was the study corrals in the back of the library.

When she got there, Quistis found a familiar tableau waiting for her - two sullen, glaring students and a tight-lipped, angry instructor. Like a referee, Aki stood to one side, arms crossed as he looked down his nose at all of them.

Quistis sighed. "What's going on here?"

Dara Loron was an experienced SeeD, but a relatively inexperienced instructor. In fact, she'd only just received her licensure in time for that semester's classes. The combination of anger and humiliation on her face under a fragile mask of flinty reserve spoke volumes.

"Orlan and Rafi decided to get into an altercation," Loron explained, shooting both of the cadets a scathing glare as she spoke.

"I had to physically separate them," Aki said, entering the conversation. "I had Instructor Loron summoned since she is their homeroom teacher. Although it's obvious that she requires assistance when it comes to her students' discipline."

Loron flinched, and Quistis couldn't stop the wave of sympathy she felt for other woman. Quistis had been in her place once; she remembered it well, being stuck between a disobedient student and Aki's palpable disapproval.

She sighed again.

"Orlan," Quistis said, turning to face the taller of the two cadets. "Didn't you just serve some time in Disciplinary over an argument with another classmate of yours?"

She could see the heat in his eyes, could almost read the comment he wanted to make. She straightened a little and scowled at him from behind her glasses. It had never worked on her unruliest students, of course, but it seemed to remind Orlan to think before he opened his mouth.

"Yeah" was all he said aloud.

"Well, prepare to spend some more time there," she told him. To Loron, she said, "I suggest that they both be confined to their dorms when they aren't in class or in Disciplinary for the next few days, at least. Orlan most definitely has lost his weekend pass privileges." She shot him another stern look that quelled the objection he'd been ready to make. "Since this is Rafi's first offence, I'll let you decide on the particulars of his punishment."

Loron nodded, then tugged both boys by the arm. "You heard her. Let's go to the dorms."

Quistis and Aki watched for a moment as Loron led the boys away, Orlan already arguing even before they'd left the library. Quistis worked to stop another sigh.

"That one is going to be trouble," Aki observed at her side.

"A lot of the junior classmen have had problems since the Battle of the Gardens," she said. "It'll take some longer than others to deal with that kind of trauma."

Aki nodded toward Loron's retreating figure. "I don't think she'll last as an instructor."

"Like me, you mean?" Quistis snorted. "I'm not sure why you called me here for this, but I've got things to do, Instructor. Excuse me."

"Actually, Quistis, we have a few things we need to discuss, starting with my summer schedule."

This time, she didn't bother stifling the sigh or the eye roll. For a moment, Quistis was reminded not of being the lecturing instructor, but of being the sullen, unruly student.

12:15 | B-Garden - Infirmary

"He is driving me crazy," Quistis complained as she waited for her companion to make a move on the Triple Triad board. "He does it on purpose, doesn't he?"

"Of course, he does," Dr. Kadowaki told her, eyes downcast as she studied her hand. "Aki has made a career of being superior, obstinate and stubborn. Why should that change now?"

Quistis finished chewing her bite of salad before she spoke again. "He knows our situation, he knows we lack trained SeeDs to replace the ones we've lost over the last year. Between deaths in battle, the attack on Trabia and a surge of defectors, the SeeD force is down a third across the board. And I need someone to cover the extra classes we're offering to get SeeDs graduated as soon as possible."

"What did Aki tell you that's got you so mad?" Dr. Kadowaki asked as she finally settled on her move. Quistis shot her a glare as she flipped two of Quistis's cards.

"That he didn't plan to take on any more classes and if the situation was so dire that I could always go back to teaching."

"Well, you could," the doctor said.

"No," Quistis said, laying out her card with more force than necessary. She didn't even feel satisfied as she regained her cards. "I'd go back in the field myself before I'd do that."

"But then who would be here to fight with Aki over things like this?" Kadowaki asked dryly.

"Yes, exactly." Quistis said as she made her last move, ending the game in a draw. Quistis collected her cards and began to shuffle her deck. Kadowaki, on the other hand, sat back and crossed her arms, looking across the empty board at Quistis. "What?"

"I think you need a vacation," the doctor said. "All this stress can't be good for you."

"I'm fine," she argued. "Yes, I'm a little tired but it's nothing to be worried about."

The doctor sighed. "You haven't taken any time off in months. Not since - "

"I don't do anything to need a rest," she said. "I never took a vacation before, why should I take one now? I don't expend much energy writing and filing reports."

"I think you should consider it," Kadowaki told her. "When you were a SeeD, there were mandatory leaves after every major mission. And when you were teaching, you took breaks when the students did. Now..."

"I'll think about it," Quistis promised. "All right?"

Kadowaki nodded. "You do that."

Quistis shuffled her cards a little more. "So, do you want to try another game before my lunch is over or are you tired of defeat?"

The doctor smiled. "Bring it on, girl. I taught you everything you know."

13:21 | B-Garden - 2F Administration

With the latest international news buffering into her video player, Quistis used the time between actual stories to search the internet for good deals on vacation getaways, if only out of perverse curiosity.

It struck her as ridiculous that she was actually researching places she had visited several times already, but she'd never traveled for leisure. In the past, her downtime had been spent either at Garden or in Balamb, more about actual rest than idle tourism.

Spread out before her in all its digital glory, Quisti found fault with every choice that came to mind. Dollet was relatively untouched by the continent's political turmoil, but its leisure activities were the purview of the wealthy, and she had no desire to spend her hard-earned salary in such a way. Timber, still in the rough transition from occupied territory to free state, was barely safe to travel through, let alone to; Deling City, though marginally less tumultuous, was gripped by a similar atmosphere of unease as the remnants of the dictatorship, the military and what was left of the democratic opposition fought tooth and nail over Galbadia's future.

In Quistis's mind, that left either the rustic splendor of Winhill or the quiet warmth of the Shumi as viable vacation destinations. Or the Island Closest to Hell, where she could at least be assured of privacy.

Amused by the twisted turn of her vacation fantasies, Quistis didn't notice Xu hovering in the door to her office until she heard her friend's firm voice. "Did you see the latest news report out of Timber?"

Quistis glanced at said report, where she'd paused it. "Just the first few minutes. I'm streaming it now."

Xu's frown deepened. "You're not going to like this."

Quistis restarted the stream and watched the female anchor wrap up her summation of Timber's current parliamentary initiatives. "What am I looking for?"

"It's the next story," Xu told her, coming around the desk to watch over Quistis's shoulder. "You'll know."

Quistis was about to ask _how_ when an unmistakable image flashed across her screen. Grainy and obviously a screen grab from someone else's news coverage, it was a still of Seifer as he'd looked at the Sorceress's side during her parade in Deling City so long ago.

"...is still wanted for crimes related to his service to the Sorceress who briefly ruled Galbadia," the announcer was explaining. "Although the cabinet of the former president has pushed for clemency for members of the toppled Galbadian government, factions within the military and within the newly formed civilian parties are hesitant to agree. Almasy, once affiliated with the elite mercenary force SeeD, has remained high on Deling's Most Wanted List, particularly after a special tribunal exonerated Edea Kramer of war crimes committed during her time in power. Kramer claims to have been possessed by another Sorceress, one from the distant future who called herself Ultimecia..."

Quistis paused the news cast. "What is this? How dare they - !"

"It gets better," Xu said. "One of those groups is even offering a reward for information on Seifer's whereabouts."

"SeeD," Quistis began, her voice trembling with suppressed fury. "_SeeD_ agreed to stay out of Galbadia's problems in return that they'd dropped this ridiculous _witch hunt_."

"Seifer's lucky that some vigilante hasn't gotten to him yet," Xu agreed. "That is, if they haven't. No one's seen him in months."

Quistis ignored the clutch in her chest at Xu's statement, even though it was the truth. No one had seen Seifer; he'd been driven to ground months ago by just this kind of situation.

"Say what you want about Seifer," Quistis said slowly. "But he can take care of himself."

Xu, as if realizing her mistake, quickly nodded her agreement. "So what's the game plan?"

"You let the Kramers know, if they don't already. This could cause them trouble, too," Quistis sighed, reaching for her phone. "I'm going to start calling our contacts in Deling and see just what in the _hell_ they're thinking."

Xu left with a short little wave as Quistis began dialing the number for the first of her Galbadian contacts, steeling herself for the uncomfortable conversations to follow. She spent the next hour yelling, threatening, swearing, and cajoling, her fanciful vacation plans forgotten as she tried once again to save the troubled boy she'd failed so many times before.

15:03 | B-Garden - 2F Administration

"Hi, Quistis!" Selphie's voice was vibrant, even through the tinny speakers of Quistis's headset. Her green eyes were bright on the computer as well, heightened by the flush of her cheeks and the cheery color of her knit hat. It had become one of her ubiquitous features, much like her flipped hair, since she'd returned to Trabia to help with the reconstruction.

"Hello, Selphie," Quistis replied, adjusting her microphone to make sure her words were clear. "How are you?"

"Good!" she said, as she always did. "Cold," she added with a grin.

Behind her, Quistis could see the fruits of Selphie's labor and the other Trabia SeeDs. Selphie was in one of the restored classrooms, now outfitted with the precious few computer consoles the Garden had. "I'm glad to hear that. Fill me on the latest, can you?"

"Of course!" It took Selphie almost an hour to tell Quistis everything that had happened since their last teleconference, about the progress on finishing more interim classrooms, on the continuing debates on the final layout for the new Garden, on the various interpersonal issues between the SeeDs and SeeD candidates who had decided to help rebuild Trabia. Their loyalty was admirable, and Quistis couldn't help but feel it was less like a school or military force than a community forged from the tragedy of the missile hit, a tiny nation of its own rebuilding as much as Esthar, Timber or Galbadia was.

And in Quistis's mind, she was looking at their de facto leader, the dynamo that would make sure it all happened.

"How's the Shumi assistance working out?" Quistis asked once Selphie finished discussing the problems they'd had with starved monsters wandering too close to the broken edges of their complex.

"Fantastic," Selphie told her, leaning toward her camera on the other end. "They really know their stuff! We're also really grateful for the computers that Sir Laguna had sent. Tell him thanks for me."

"I'll pass it on through Irvine," Quistis said. At the dreamy look that flitted over Selphie's face, she smiled a little. "He's on downtime right now, but he's still leading the teams in Esthar."

"Still?" Selphie shook her head. "Those monsters just won't die."

"Clearly." Quistis grimaced, thinking of their human problems on the western continent. "Is there anything you need I should put on the req list?"

"What don't we need? We're, like, counting squares of TP up here." Selphie laughed and rolled her eyes. "In all seriousness? We need a better land vehicle. We have two, but they're old and just not cutting it in this terrain."

"I'll make a note of it," she said. Quistis hesitated. "Are you sure there's nothing else?"

Selphie's bright facade slipped a little. "We're making it," she said. "Don't worry about it."

Quistis didn't know how to tell her she didn't know how not to worry. "If you need anything, let me know and I'll see what I can do," she told her. "If nothing comes up, I'll talk to you next week?"

"Will do!" Selphie said, her hand reaching toward her console to stop the video feed. "See you then!"

In the silence after Selphie had disconnected, Quistis looked down at the notes she'd made. She could read between the lines of what Selphie had said, could see the ways in which the Trabia SeeDs were suffering for the same loyalty she admired in them. They were marooned by choice in an inhospitable land, determined to deal with their grief by rebuilding what they'd lost.

She couldn't help but remember what she'd heard Selphie say to another Trabia student after Ultimecia had been defeated: _We'll rebuild our Garden and it'll be here in a thousand years! It'll outlast Ultimecia in the future even if it didn't in the present._

Despite the hardships they faced, Quistis didn't doubt it for a minute.

18:33 | B-Garden - Cafeteria

Paperwork, Quistis had learned since she'd went from active SeeD to glorified secretary, seemed to have the magical ability to multiply whenever her back was turned. Though she had been at her desk for most of the day, she'd barely made a bent. There was still Irvine's report status to file, and Selphie's status update, as well as her summary of the current situation with Seifer and the Galbadians. On top of that, she had student paperwork to deal with - the two disciplinary infractions to write up, notes from a mediation between a student facing academic censure and the teacher who had accused him of cheating, plus a half-dozen transfers of various stripes. It amazed her how her interim position of 'student welfare' during their fight with Ultimecia had turned into a permanent position which had, in turn, become something entirely different in the end. She managed student affairs, long-term mission objectives, req lists and, sometimes, even public relations.

She was a long way from the SeeD who'd thought the world was ending because she'd lost her teaching license.

The growling of her stomach reminded Quistis it had been several hours since she'd last left her desk, even more since she'd eaten. She knew her usual meal companions - Dr. Kadowaki, Xu - had eaten earlier, so instead she reached for the book Rinoa had lent her and headed to the cafeteria.

Like so many other times when she moved through the Garden halls, her schedule put her at the opposite of everyone else. Most students were enjoying their free hours on the quad, in the dorms or outside of the school; the cafeteria only had a smattering of people in it. She settled with her tray, not far from where two students sat playing cards.

Sitting alone, with a book as her only defense against it, reminded Quistis of some of her earliest moments at Balamb Garden, back when she'd been too smart and too loud about the fact, thus alienating most of the cadets her own age. Only Seifer, who had been amused and horrified by her in turns, hadn't considered her attitude off-putting. Looking back, she should've realized earlier that he thrived on contrariness.

Students milled in and out, and Quistis was content to focus on her meal and her book, a historical treatment on Esthar Rinoa had recently finished. Quistis knew it was unkind of her to sometimes seem surprised that Rinoa did things like read, but the thought slipped through before she could stop it. It had been happening less and less, though, since Selphie had returned to Trabia, leaving them only with each other to fill the void that Selphie left in their lives and their schedules.

Lunches, shopping trips, the occasional girl's night - she enjoyed her time with Rinoa, when she allowed herself to relax instead of anxiously searching for signs of evil or madness in her friend's dark eyes. If it had been specific to Rinoa, Quistis might've been more concerned about her motives, but worry, like paperwork, was one of her constant companions. She worried about Selphie, about Rinoa, about sorceresses, about their knights, about monsters in Esthar, and the Garden's nutritional budget. She was pretty sure she worried even in her sleep.

Once her dinner was gone, she marked her place in the chapter on the early Centran colonization of the Estharian continent and left the cafeteria. Quistis was undecided on her destination. She was tired and had worked all day, but there was still so many things to do that she was tempted to head back to her office. She was still debating with herself on what she wanted to do when a feeling swarmed over her, making her dizzy and disoriented. She immediately recognized it and leaned against the wall of the corridor to wait it out.

She and the others had learned, thanks to Irvine, that using Guardian Forces eroded at their memories, a sacrifice they'd made to be strong enough to defeat Ultimecia. Since then, GFs weren't as widespread at Balamb Garden as they had been, but many chose to use them still, in spite of the side-effects. But since Quistis rarely went into combat, she rarely equipped them, and since that change in her behavior, she had fell victim to yet another side-effect: the return of those lost memories from wherever they'd gone.

Not lost, of course, but suppressed, in order to make room for the GF's presence.

This time, she remembered more things about her life at the orphanage: Zell's watery blue eyes as he stomped off, Squall's garish yellow shirt as sulked by himself under the eaves of the stone roof, Selphie's triumphant holler as she bested Irvine in another game of war. They came like flashes, brief and fragmented, settling into the holes she didn't know her memory held, smoothing rough edges that would've once kept her from thinking much about that part of her history.

After a moment, the dizziness passed and the memories lost their immediacy. Quistis straightened up, brushed at her skirt and tugged at the jacket of her SeeD uniform as if to erase any sign of her momentary distress. She knew that her next appointment needed to be with Dr. Kadowaki or she would face the doctor's wrath.

With a sigh, she headed toward the infirmary, adding this to the list of things she worried about.

21:58 | B-Garden - Training Center

Whether it was lingering anxiety over Irvine and Selphie's situations, a side-effect of the memory reoccurrence or just her reaction to an hour spent under Dr. Kadowaki's care, Quistis was not nearly relaxed enough to call it a day, although every muscle in her body ached for rest. Faced with the war between her mind and body, Quistis chose a familiar solution: training.

After changing out of her uniform, she headed to the Training Center. She still had a bit of a headache from earlier, but she hoped the exercise would help clear both it and her anxious energy. Just as she had hoped, it seemed as if she had the Center to herself, and she immediately began to roam the artful jungle, looking for a few monsters on which to unleash her aggression. Quistis quickly dispatched the first two that came across her path, then another set, but she was still catching her breath when a roar alerted her to the fact that she was being back-attacked by a T-Rex.

Especially after the day she'd had, Quistis hadn't bothered to equip any GFs, knowing that her skills made her more than a match for any monster they kept in the Center, even without magic at her aid. The T-Rex would be a long battle, if not a difficult one; and if her health did come into jeopardy, her limit break would easily defend her against a KO.

Quistis turned and fired her first physical attack against the T-Rex and it roared its disapproval. She evaded its counter attack, thankfully missing out on the large-toothed bite it had had in store for her. She attacked again, but didn't quite dodge the tail swipe it returned after her third strike.

She was still recovering from the blow when she felt a cold tunnel of wind streak past her toward the T-Rex; as she turned to see its origin, she felt the phantom splinters of Shiva's ice as the Guardian Force unleashed her attack.

Standing behind Quistis, in his usual dark clothes and fur-lined jacket, was Squall, gunblade in hand.

While the T-Rex was still thrashing in disorientation from Shiva's Diamond Dust, Quistis struck again, followed by Squall. Another round or so, and the T-Rex was no more.

"I didn't even know you were back at Garden," was the first thing Quistis said once the fight had ended. It reminded her of that morning, when she'd ask the same of Rinoa.

Squall shrugged. "I got back on the afternoon train."

She nodded. "Irvine's looking for back-up," she told him. "If you're interested in another mission."

There was something that was almost a smile on Squall's face. "No, I think I could use a rest first."

"Is that all?"

Squall looked away, hiding some discomfort. "I'm not sure I'm ready for Esthar."

Quistis had heard some inklings of why Squall might want to avoid the country, most of which had to do with its president. "I understand."

Squall cleared his throat. "Any reason you're out here fighting T-Rexes by yourself?"

She shrugged. "I needed to work on some energy. You?"

"Lag," he explained. "Doesn't feel late to me."

"Want to team up, then? We could clear the center, for old time's sake." Quistis tightened her grip on her whip.

"Sure." Quistis turned to head farther into the Training Center but stopped at the light touch of Squall's gloved hand on her arm. He pulled it away immediately, though he caught her eye. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I've just got some things on my mind."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

The rush of affection for Squall in that moment was almost as dizzying as her memories has been earlier. "No talking needed, but thank you for asking."

He nodded. "Okay, then. You're not junctioned, are you? I can lend you a GF if you want."

"I think I'll continue without a Guardian Force," Quistis informed him. "Since I've got back-up."

The corner of Squall's mouth tugged upward, his version of a grin. "Aren't guys usually too nervous to perform when you're around?"

"Squall!" Quistis said, laughter ruining her try at a scandalized tone. "Really!"

Shoulder to shoulder, they walked deeper into the Training Center, Squall's quiet amusement lingering in their wake.

23:30 | B-Garden - Parking Lot

Even a vigorous training session with Squall hadn't soothed her enough for rest, so she found herself prowling the Garden corridors, on the lookout for disobedient students who were brave enough to roam the halls past curfew. All was quiet, until she reached the Parking Lot.

Quistis could hear the noise coming from the lot even before she'd made it down the hall. It was mechanical sounds, the clinking and clanging of metal punctuated by soft mumbling and grumbling. Even if she couldn't have used the sounds to pinpoint its location, two obnoxiously-colored sneakers sticking out from beneath one of the Garden vehicles would've clued her in to where it was coming from.

As she approached, the grumbling clarified into words, many of which were slurs against the parentage of the vehicle as well as whichever SeeD team had last used it. Quistis stood there for a moment without announcing her presence, letting her eyes travel from the sneakers up the denim-clad legs, her gaze lingering on the tell-tale flash of white and brown that encased one visible knee. She resisted the urge to kick at him to gain his attention and instead tapped the toe of her boot against the metal cane at his side.

"You know, I file the injured lists every week and I'm pretty sure that you're still on there."

Zell let out an "Ow!" when his head hit something on the underside of the vehicle's carriage at the sound of her voice. He was still grumbling about it as he slid out from under the car to glare at Quistis. "You snuck up on me."

"Because you shouldn't be here," she told him.

"I'm fine."

"Dr. Kadowaki begs to differ," Quistis said. "There's a reason you're on medical leave."

Zell frowned up at her from beneath a fringe of his wild, blond hair. "Somebody's got to fix this tank."

Quistis unconsciously bent down toward him. "Don't we have the machinist corps for that?"

"Not at that moment," he laughed. At Quistis's confused expression, he elaborated as he hauled himself completely from beneath the vehicle and sat up. "We only had three after Ultimecia. One quit, one's on Irvine's team and Selphie recruited the other to go to Trabia with her before she left the last time."

"Selphie?" She couldn't help but laugh. "I'll have to say something to her about that in next week's check-in." Quistis knelt down and settled on the asphalt next to Zell. She touched a hand to his arm. "You're still supposed to be resting."

She could tell he'd been working for a while; there was a sheen of sweat across his forehead, which he only made worse by wiping at it with a dirty hand. In response to her statement, he shrugged. "Don't need my knee to work on stuff," he told her. "And it's not like I'm sleeping that all that great these days."

"Pain?"

He shook his head. "Dreams."

Quistis thought about some of her own reasons for not sleeping and some of the things that had been plaguing her. On the injured list, Zell would be forgoing junctioning, too. "Memories?"

He looked down at his hands, as if fascinated at the whorled pattern of grime circling his fingers. "A few," he admitted. "But regular dreams mostly. Nightmare stuff."

Zell seemed embarrassed by the admission, so Quistis didn't press. Instead, she settled a little closer to him, their shoulders brushing in the silence. Finally, she asked, "So how much longer do you think you'll be on this?"

"Not sure," he said. "It's a timing issue, but I'm starting to think it's electrical and not mechanical. Which means I've been going the wrong way for the last hour or two." He smiled a little regretfully. "I guess I should get back to it."

"Could you use some help?" she asked, adding, "I know a thing or two about not sleeping these days."

He was nodding as he answered, "Sure." Then, he laid down to slide under the vehicle, propelling his weight solely on the strength of his good leg. One hand shot out, making a 'gimme' motion. "Can you hand me that blue meter? I'm going to hook it up and see what codes the computer is throwing."

She leaned over until her fingers wrapped around the small scanner, which she placed in Zell's outstretched hand. With a grunt of thanks, the hand disappeared and Zell went to work.

Quistis settled with her back against the vehicle, legs stretched out in front of her, parallel to Zell's. Their toes brushed every so often, and Quistis's fingers found their way around the cool metal curve of the cane. As she listened to the soft, concentrated sounds of Zell's progress, her mind was quiet and still, if only for a little while.

23:55 | B-Garden

She could feel herself drifting into sleep, but she didn't fight it. It was a rare commodity, even when the most dangerous thing she faced each morning was the threat of a paper cut. It was the closest she'd come to rest all day, and it would be enough to go on, until she had to do it all again the next day and the next.

Quistis had never expected that peace would be as tiring as war, but she'd learned a valuable lesson, thanks to Ultimecia - wars sometimes lasted past the battle's end, a ghost that strangled the future with its consequences. And, maybe, in her own anxiety-ridden, paperwork-filled, minutia-laden way, she was still fighting right alongside her friends in the field, capturing small victories wherever she could.

Despite everything, it was a comforting thought, one that followed her into her dreams.

_23:59 | The End._


End file.
